Vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 antibody response: the comparability of S1-specific binding assays depends on epitope and isotype discrimination.

Background: Quantification of the SARS-CoV-2-specific immune response by serological immunoassays is critical for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, neutralizing antibody titers to the viral spike (S) protein have been proposed as a correlate of protection (CoP). The WHO established the First International Standard (WHO IS) for anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (Ig) (NIBSC 20/136) to harmonize binding assays with the same antigen specificity by assigning the same unitage in binding antibody units (BAU)/ml.

Continuous H/CO fermentation for acetic acid production under transient and continuous sulfide inhibition.

Waste gas fermentation powered by renewable H is reaching kiloton scale. The presence of sulfide, inherent to many waste gases, can cause inhibition, requiring additional gas treatment. In this work, acetogenesis and methanogenesis inhibition by sulfide were studied in a 10-L mixed-culture fermenter, supplied with CO and connected with a water electrolysis unit for electricity-powered H supply.

Lon Protease Removes Excess Signal Recognition Particle Protein in Escherichia coli.

Correct targeting of membrane proteins is essential for membrane integrity, cell physiology, and viability. Cotranslational targeting depends on the universally conserved signal recognition particle (SRP), which is a ribonucleoprotein complex comprised of the protein component Ffh and the 4.5S RNA in About 25 years ago it was reported that Ffh is an unstable protein, but the underlying mechanism has never been explored.

Homoacetogenesis and microbial community composition are shaped by pH and total sulfide concentration.

Biological CO sequestration through acetogenesis with H as electron donor is a promising technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Today, a major issue is the presence of impurities such as hydrogen sulfide (H S) in CO containing gases, as they are known to inhibit acetogenesis in CO -based fermentations. However, exact values of toxicity and inhibition are not well-defined.

Enriched hydrogen-oxidizing microbiomes show a high diversity of co-existing hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria.

While numerous reports exist on the axenic culturing of different hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria (HOB), knowledge about the enrichment of microbial communities growing on hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide as sole carbon and energy sources remains negligible. We want to elucidate if in such enrichments, most enriched populations are HOBs or heterotrophic organisms. In the present study, bacteria enriched from a soil sample and grown over 5 transfers using a continuous supply of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide to obtain an enriched autotrophic hydrogen-oxidizing microbiome.

Intricate Crosstalk Between Lipopolysaccharide, Phospholipid and Fatty Acid Metabolism in Modulates Proteolysis of LpxC.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria provide the first line of defense against antibiotics and other harmful compounds. LPS biosynthesis critically depends on LpxC catalyzing the first committed enzyme in this process. In , the cellular concentration of LpxC is adjusted in a growth rate-dependent manner by the FtsH protease making sure that LPS biosynthesis is coordinated with the cellular demand.

Membrane stripping enables effective electrochemical ammonia recovery from urine while retaining microorganisms and micropollutants.

Ammonia recovery from urine avoids the need for nitrogen removal through nitrification/denitrification and re-synthesis of ammonia (NH) via the Haber-Bosch process. Previously, we coupled an alkalifying electrochemical cell to a stripping column, and achieved competitive nitrogen removal and energy efficiencies using only electricity as input, compared to other technologies such as conventional column stripping with air. Direct liquid-liquid extraction with a hydrophobic gas membrane could be an alternative to increase nitrogen recovery from urine into the absorbent while minimizing energy requirements, as well as ensuring microbial and micropollutant retention.

An Acetobacterium strain isolated with metallic iron as electron donor enhances iron corrosion by a similar mechanism as Sporomusa sphaeroides.

Sporomusa sphaeroides related strains are to date the only homoacetogens known to increase metallic iron corrosion. The goal of this work was to isolate additional homoacetogenic bacteria capable of using Fe(0) as electron donor and to explore their extracellular electron transfer mechanism. Enrichments were started from anoxic corrosion products and yielded Acetobacterium as main homoacetogenic genus.

Interfacing anaerobic digestion with (bio)electrochemical systems: Potentials and challenges.

For over a century, anaerobic digestion has been a key technology in stabilizing organic waste streams, while at the same time enabling the recovery of energy. The anticipated transition to a bio-based economy will only increase the quantity and diversity of organic waste streams to be treated, and, at the same time, increase the demand for additional and effective resource recovery schemes for nutrients and organic matter. The performance of anaerobic digestion can be supported and enhanced by (bio)electrochemical systems in a wide variety of hybrid technologies.

A Novel Shewanella Isolate Enhances Corrosion by Using Metallic Iron as the Electron Donor with Fumarate as the Electron Acceptor.

The involvement of spp. in biocorrosion is often attributed to their Fe(III)-reducing properties, but they could also affect corrosion by using metallic iron as an electron donor. Previously, we isolated strain 4t3-1-2LB from an acetogenic community enriched with Fe(0) as the sole electron donor.

A novel high-throughput method for kinetic characterisation of anaerobic bioproduction strains, applied to Clostridium kluyveri.

Hexanoic acid (HA), also called caproic acid, can be used as an antimicrobial agent and as a precursor to various chemicals, such as fuels, solvents and fragrances. HA can be produced from ethanol and acetate by the mesophilic anaerobic bacterium Clostridium kluyveri, via two successive elongation steps over butyrate. A high-throughput anaerobic growth curve technique was coupled to a data analysis framework to assess growth kinetics for a range of substrate and product concentrations.

Defining Multidrug Resistance of Gram-Negative Bacteria in the Dutch-German Border Region-Impact of National Guidelines.

Preventing the spread of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDRGNB) is a public health priority. However, the definition of MDRGNB applied for planning infection prevention measures such as barrier precautions differs depending on national guidelines. This is particularly relevant in the Dutch-German border region, where patients are transferred between healthcare facilities located in the two different countries, because clinicians and infection control personnel must understand antibiograms indicating MDRGNB from both sides of the border and using both national guidelines.

Epidemiology of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in the Northern Dutch-German Cross-Border Region.

To reveal the prevalence and epidemiology of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)- and/or plasmid AmpC (pAmpC)- and carbapenemase (CP) producing and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) across the Northern Dutch-German border region. A point-prevalence study on ESBL/pAmpC/CP producing and VRE was carried out in hospitalized patients in the Northern Netherlands ( = 445, 2012-2013) and Germany ( = 242, 2012). Healthy individuals from the Dutch community ( = 400, 2010-2012) were also screened.

Electrobioremediation of oil spills.

Annually, thousands of oil spills occur across the globe. As a result, petroleum substances and petrochemical compounds are widespread contaminants causing concern due to their toxicity and recalcitrance. Many remediation strategies have been developed using both physicochemical and biological approaches.

When, how and why? Regulated proteolysis by the essential FtsH protease in Escherichia coli.

Cellular proteomes are dynamic and adjusted to permanently changing conditions by ATP-fueled proteolytic machineries. Among the five AAA+ proteases in Escherichia coli FtsH is the only essential and membrane-anchored metalloprotease. FtsH is a homohexamer that uses its ATPase domain to unfold and translocate substrates that are subsequently degraded without the need of ATP in the proteolytic chamber of the protease domain.

In vivo trapping of FtsH substrates by label-free quantitative proteomics.

FtsH is the only membrane-bound and essential protease in Escherichia coli. It is responsible for the degradation of regulatory proteins and enzymes such as the heat-shock sigma factor RpoH or LpxC, the key enzyme of lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. To find new FtsH targets, we trapped substrates in E.

Enhanced Product Recovery from Glycerol Fermentation into 3-Carbon Compounds in a Bioelectrochemical System Combined with Extraction.

Given the large amount of crude glycerol formed as a by-product in the biodiesel industries and the concomitant decrease in its overall market price, there is a need to add extra value to this biorefinery side stream. Upgrading can be achieved by new biotechnologies dealing with recovery and conversion of glycerol present in wastewaters into value-added products, aiming at a zero-waste policy and developing an economically viable process. In microbial bioelectrochemical systems (BESs), the mixed microbial community growing on the cathode can convert glycerol reductively to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO).

Mini review: ATP-dependent proteases in bacteria.

AAA(+) proteases are universal barrel-like and ATP-fueled machines preventing the accumulation of aberrant proteins and regulating the proteome according to the cellular demand. They are characterized by two separate operating units, the ATPase and peptidase domains. ATP-dependent unfolding and translocation of a substrate into the proteolytic chamber is followed by ATP-independent degradation.

Use of whole-genome sequencing to trace, control and characterize the regional expansion of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing ST15 Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The study describes the transmission of a CTX-M-15-producing ST15 Klebsiella pneumoniae between patients treated in a single center and the subsequent inter-institutional spread by patient referral occurring between May 2012 and September 2013. A suspected epidemiological link between clinical K. pneumoniae isolates was supported by patient contact tracing and genomic phylogenetic analysis from May to November 2012.

Diagnosis and management of aspergillosis in the Netherlands: a national survey.

A survey of diagnosis and treatment of invasive aspergillosis was conducted in eight University Medical Centers (UMCs) and eight non-academic teaching hospitals in the Netherlands. Against a background of emerging azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus routine resistance screening of clinical isolates was performed primarily in the UMCs. Azole resistance rates at the hospital level varied between 5% and 10%, although rates up to 30% were reported in high-risk wards.

Characterization of a CTX-M-15 Producing Klebsiella Pneumoniae Outbreak Strain Assigned to a Novel Sequence Type (1427).

Extended-spectrum -lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae have emerged as one of the major nosocomial pathogens. Between July and September 2012, a CTX-M-15 producing K. pneumoniae caused an outbreak in a university hospital in the Netherlands.

Hydrodynamic chronoamperometry for probing kinetics of anaerobic microbial metabolism--case study of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.

Monitoring in vitro the metabolic activity of microorganisms aids bioprocesses and enables better understanding of microbial metabolism. Redox mediators can be used for this purpose via different electrochemical techniques that are either complex or only provide non-continuous data. Hydrodynamic chronoamperometry using a rotating disc electrode (RDE) can alleviate these issues but was seldom used and is poorly characterized.